Box office update: 'Think Like A Man' stays on top with $5.5 million on Friday; 'Engagement' at No. 3

Despite four new wide releases entering theaters, Think Like A Man, the adaptation of Steve Harvey’s famous advice book for women, Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man, managed to stay on top of the box office on Friday with $5.5 million.

Although that gross marks a drop of about 55 percent from last Friday, things should stabilize nicely over the rest of the weekend. In the end, Think Like A Man will likely dip by less than 50 percent and score about $18 million in its sophomore frame.

In second place, the Zac Efron/Taylor Schilling romance The Lucky One pulled in an estimated $3.9 million yesterday. That puts the weepy film, based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, on track for a $12 million second weekend, which would lift its total past $40 million with ease.

After this point, we find all the newcomers, none of which are posting numbers to get very excited about. (With the notable exception of Fast Five, which opened with $86.2 million on this weekend last year, late-April tends to see these sorts of results. It’s the calm before the summer movie season, which will kick into high gear with The Avengers next weekend.)

The Five-Year Engagement only found $3.5 million on its opening day, perhaps because too many other titles were targeting women – Think Like A Man, The Hunger Games, and The Lucky One are all playing primarily to females. It may earn $10 million. (Yeah yeah, I know. That’s half of what I predicted.) Close behind, The Hunger Games earned $3 million on the first day of its sixth weekend. It should pass Engagement for third place over the rest of the frame.

Meanwhile, Aardman Animation’s The Pirates! Band of Misfits left port slowly with $2.8 million, on its way to about $8.5 million. Fortunately, it has already earned solid numbers abroad. Jason Statham thriller Safe notched a weak $2.6 million Friday, while John Cusack’s literary thriller (kind of an oxymoron, right?) The Raven started with just $2.5 million. Both films may earn a weak $7 million over the Friday-to-Sunday period.

1. Think Like A Man – $5.5 million
2. The Lucky One – $3.9 million
3. The Five-Year Engagement – $3.5 million
4. The Hunger Games – $3.0 million
5. The Pirates! Band of Misfits – $2.8 million

Check back tomorrow for the full weekend report, and follow me on Twitter for up-to-the-minute box office updates.